WildwindWorks #1: Why take Discovery?

In our WildwindWorks notes, we will address questions and concerns you may have about the workings of Wildwind. For this first note I want to talk to you about Discovery.

Wildwind has seen rapid growth in the past few months and there are many at our church who have not yet taken our Discovery course. We cannot state emphatically enough how important it is that you make Discovery a priority! Our goal at Wildwind is to be a church that is truly unique and that truly stands out among the tens of thousands of churches in our country. Did you know most churches:

a. Say they value evangelism (reaching out to those who do not know God) but do very little to create an environment where non-believers would be comfortable?
b. Teach a lot about finding God, but very little about being human?
c. Carry the belief that being a Christian means praying a "salvation prayer," and then trying very hard to do and not do certain things?
d. Expect very little from their attenders, even though Jesus clearly said that if we're actually living the Christian life, it will require everything we have?

Discovery is a class that runs 4 1/2 hours for four consecutive Sundays. That seems like a lot of time. It's 18 hours. And during that 18 hours, you will learn how Wildwind feels (and what we do) to reach people who do not know God. You will learn more about God, but you will also learn some really important things you need to know about yourself in order to relate to God the way you should (and want to). You will learn what we believe it means to live life as a follower of Christ (whether you currently are or are not!). Most of all, you will learn what Wildwind expects from those who become members at Wildwind and the exact reasons behind each of these expectations. And I don't want to forget that in Discovery we will begin to correct the mistaken notions that many people have about what the church is and should be. Most people have been involved in churches in the past that were doing little to intentionally create a place where non-believers could come to church. Most people have gone to churches where membership simply meant taking a one-hour class and having their name added to some list. Most people have been involved in churches that don't really ask anything of them, that function more like country clubs than the living body of Christ. Many have gone to churches that are led by people who make decisions not on the basis of what is best for the church but on the basis of pleasing those who complain the loudest. It takes a little time for us to explain how these things are responsible for the church's irrelevance in American society, and to get you excited about how incredible the church could be if we thought of it differently!

Anything really worth doing in life requires an investment. We believe your church is too important to trivialize by bringing you through a one-hour class and pretending like that's all you need to know. If you want to take the fast track to a status of membership in a local church, and all that matters is that your name is on the membership roll in the church office, you can do that at most churches in Genesee County (and in America). But if you want to connect -- if you want to plug into a church -- if you want to know what Wildwind is about and why -- if you want to commit yourself to something meaningful that is going to impact more and more people as we move into the future -- then I ask you to begin by devoting the first 18 hours to learning why we ask the things we ask.

In Discovery you will learn how different Wildwind is from most churches you could find. Some of you will love these differences, some of you will find them burdensome and wish things were easier. Wildwind is not a church for those who don't want to do anything except come and sit. It is a church for people who are willing to engage, and Discovery teaches you what that means to us and how to begin doing it.

So we ask people to make a deal. Anyone can come to Wildwind and just sit for as long as they want. No one has to contribute financially. No one has to serve in ministry or join a small group. But we simply ask people for the chance to allow us to get to them. Will you come and sit through the class with an open mind? Will you put yourself in a place where you could, just maybe, find yourself ignited by our vision? That will happen for many of you in Discovery. And for those that it doesn't happen for, then you will know beyond a doubt when you finish class that Wildwind is not the church for you -- and this is important to know!

We want to see every person who attends Wildwind take Discovery. Of those who take it, some will move quickly into membership. Some will desire to move toward membership but will find out about some goals they need to reach first. Others will leave without any particular conviction about membership. You will not be asked to make a membership commitment during the class. At the end of the class you will be asked if you think you might be interested in moving in that direction. That is all. If you mark yes, we will see what we can do to help you. If you mark no, then you will not hear from us about it.

You can always check to see if there is a Discovery class you can register for on our website.